The dynamics of this year’s race for governor in California really haven’t changed much since campaigning began; current Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is the favorite, and there’s a mad scramble among the rest of the field for the second slot on the November ballot.

So far, Newsom has managed to stay out of enough trouble to retain his status as the frontrunner. His biggest hiccup came recently when he admitted to the San Francisco Chronicle that after asking for San Franciscans’ forgiveness in February 2007 for having an affair with a married employee in his office — and admitting that he had a drinking problem that he would seek help for — he never went to rehab and has resumed drinking.

The Reader’s Digest version of the story is:

They tried to make him go to rehab

He said no, no, no

He ain’t got the time

And if his consultants think he’s fine

They tried to make him go to rehab

He won’t go, go, go.

While it’s definitely not the story he’d like to see on the front page of the paper, it’s probably not enough to knock him out of first place.

Which leads us to the question — who will face off against Newsom this fall?

While Villaraigosa has been on the political scene for decades and has deep-pocketed backers in the charter school movement pushing his candidacy, Cox’s success is a bit of a shocker.

Prior to this race Cox has never served in elected office, despite the fact that he has run and lost for various positions … many times.

Many, many times.

In 2000, Cox ran for Congress in Illinois’ 10th Congressional District, and lost in the primary to Mark Kirk.

In 2002, Cox ran for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, and lost in the primary to Jim Durkin.

In 2004, Cox ran for Cook County Recorder of Deeds, and lost to incumbent Democrat Eugene Moore.

In 2008, Cox ran for the Republican nomination for president, and dropped out of the race later that year.

And now, all of a sudden Cox could make it into the runoff for California governor.

I guess if it’s possible for a caterpillar to morph into a butterfly, it’s also possible for a gadfly to shed its wings and become a viable candidate.

As Cosmo Kramer said on Seinfeld, “Mother nature is a maaaad scientist!”

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Cox’s main asset in today’s climate is quite possibly his ballot designation as a “businessman.” As we saw in the 2016 Republican primary, Donald Trump’s businessman persona — and willingness to embrace his status as a political outsider — turned out to be a key part of his winning appeal.

Whether GOP consultants know it or not, millions of Republican voters feel let down by their elected representatives at the federal, state and local levels.

Nowhere is this more evident than in California.

Republican members of the state Assembly and state Senate provided the ruling Democrats with the votes they needed to increase the gas tax, vehicle license fee and energy costs through draconian cap-and-trade legislation. GOP voters remember these votes and look at incumbent members of the state Legislature with well-earned skepticism.

While it’s true that Cox’s Republican opponent in the race for governor, Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach, did not vote for any of these misguided policies — the stink of former Republican Assembly Leader Chad Mayes and the GOP caucus is attached to Allen in the form of his ballot designation as an “assemblyman.”

As a “businessman,” John Cox will be able to claim the mantle as the ultimate outsider in the race, and that branding might be enough to win the silver medal on election day.

John Phillips is a CNN political commentator and can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on “The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips” on KABC/AM 790.